Outlandish Designs and Dressing to the Nines: 146 Years of Derby Fashion
Part 3: You Ain’t Never Seen Nothin’
Kentucky humorist and native son Irvin S. Cobb is famous for saying, “Until you go to the Kentucky Derby with your own eyes, behold the Derby, you ain’t never been nowhere and you ain’t never seen nothin’.” We believe that’s true, too, and one of the reasons is the pure fashion spectacle offered by Derby-goers each year.
Post-1960 Derby celebrations saw an explosion of creativity and exuberance and personal expression. The wackier, weirder, Avant Garde ensembles—often handmade and worn with a wink—became a staple of a good people-watching session all over the track and infield. From the glitz, glamor, and designer labels of Millionaire’s Row and the Mansion to the beer hats, t-shirts, and flip flops of the Infield, Derby Day will always be the day to go big, or go home.
Return to Femininity
Because women had taken on many roles traditionally held by men during World War II, the practical, restrained styles of the 1940s spoke to their cultural reality as breadwinners, workers, and civic leaders. However, by the time the boys were back and women’s responsibilities in public life waned as men began to “reclaim” their domain, ladies’ wardrobes regressed back to clothing built for looks, not for comfort.
Derby outfits followed a similar pattern. Girdles literally supported the new layers of frills reinforcing femininity and opulence expected of wives and mothers. The 1950s saw bigger skirts, more feminine silhouettes, and new fabrics like taffeta, lace, netting, chiffon, and fur. And although a good suit would never go out of fashion, the simple versions of the wartime era gave way to flashier colors embellished with all kinds of jewelry, gloves, shoes, handbags, stoles, scarves, and—of course—hats. Hats stayed pretty small in the 1950s, but they were nevertheless a required part of women’s outfits in general, and Derby Day was no exception.
